Gravity (PG13) – Starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney and Ed Harris. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
With a routine spacewalk taking place, two astronauts get detached from their shuttle, leaving them alone and only tethered to each other, spiralling away into the darkness of space.
Working on her first shuttle mission, Dr Ryan Stone (Bullock) is a highly rated medical engineer, and with the help of veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) they work on what should be a rather basic task. Yet, this simple mission quickly turns into a frantic and panic-stricken rescue mission. And with Stone and Kowalsky being the only characters on screen, the feeling of being ‘lost in space’ grows at an alarming pace. There is also a limited cast of voice characters representing mission control (Harris being one), which in turn makes the emptiness of jet-black space a whole lot vaster.
The plot is very straightforward and, on paper, could be dismissed as a few Hollywood A-listers trying to make a quick buck. But Cuarón has clearly been selective and precise, not only with the recruitment of his actors, but the direction of this seemingly simple story; this really is a heart-thumping spectacle with impressive acting to boot.
The visuals and music score are light-years ahead of many movies right now. Despite being in space – and a lot of black screen – Oscar nominee Cuarón manages to draw you into his picture, making you feel just as lost as the astronauts. This is a cinematic success for all involved in its making, and is definitely a movie for 3D viewing – but probably not for those who have booked their ticket for Virgin Galactic’s space flight!
Gravity floats into cinemas this Thursday 17th October.
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